Pep talk prep: revving up students for a great time.

In the moments before they take the stage, young dancers worry, do I know all the steps? Is my costume on right? Will the judges think I'm good enough? The right words or rituals can help them focus and give them that extra energy to pull off a winning performance.

"I tell my dancers that they can't change how many classes they've taken at this point, but they can give everything they've got on that stage," says Lauren Brown, a teacher at Studio 1 Dance in Clearfield, UT. She finds that she has to hit a certain balance--sometimes pep talks feed students so much energy that they've already used it up by the time they get onstage.

To Veda Burton's students at The Rage in Los Angeles, competition day is not a stress fest. "We take it more as a date to polish our skills," Burton says. Before going on, her students stand in a circle holding hands and say a nonreligious prayer. Then Burton's daughter Tiffany, who teaches at the studio, talks about how they're coming together to do what they love.

They then jog in place and jump up and down three times saying "run run run run run run, jump jump jump"--a ritual Burton's former student Nick Lazzarini took to the wings of So You Think You Can Dance.

In the end, it's all about having a good time. Whether it's goofy gestures or inspirational speeches, it helps to remind students that they're there to have fun.